|
|
« April 10, 2008 | Today | April 14, 2008 » April 11, 2008Tonight: Providence gets The ProducersHead to the Providence Performing Arts Center tonight at 8 to catch a production of The Producers, a Mel Brooks musical that begins a run of five shows here. The musical picked up a dozen Tony Awards in 2001. There will be two performances tomorrow and another two on Sunday. Tickets are $38 to $65. Call (401) 421-2787 or go to www.ppacri.org. Posted by Mike McKinney at 6:50 PM | Comment No indictment for Pawtucket officer in Feb. fatal shootingA grand jury has found that the actions of a Pawtucket police officer, who shot and killed a Pawtucket man in February, were lawful and legally justified, and therefore did not return an indictment. The Providence County grand jury, which reported the case out late this afternoon, had to determine whether Officer Wallace H. Martin's actions were legally justified in using deadly force, according to a statement from Michael J. Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. Jason M. Swift, 30, was shot and killed in the Lupine Street apartment he shared with his mother. Martin shot Swift, of 71 Lupine St., after he brandished a "Samurai-style" sword and later struggled naked with officers, The Journal reported. The police said they were responding to a 7:31 a.m. call involving an "emotionally disturbed individual with a knife" outside the building. The statement from the attorney general's office explains the law gives police officers right to "use deadly force in circumstances not generally available to the public" and the law "recognizes the unique duties of police officers, and provides to police officers the right to use deadly force under circumstances that non-police officers would not be entitled to." A 1985 U.S. Supreme Court decision, according to the statement, stated: “When the officer has probable cause to believe that [a] suspect poses a threat of serious physical harm, either to the officer or to others, it is not constitutionally unreasonable to prevent escape by using deadly force.” In February, Swift's mother spoke about the shooting. Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:58 PM | Comment Update: Deaths of Cumberland couple a murder-suicideCUMBERLAND -- In a major turn of events, the police chief said this afternoon that the deaths of a husband and wife whose bodies were found after a house fire yesterday were a murder-suicide. Cumberland Police Chief John Desmarais said at an afternoon news conference that Norman Langelier, 61, shot his wife, Beatrice Langelier, 60, and then in some fashion set off an explosion or explosions in their 3,300-square-foot home at 500 Nate Whipple Highway. The precise manner in which explosions were set off remains under investigation, but Desmarais acknowledged that it was not accidental. The cause of the fire has also not been determined. Police said this afternoon that about six propane tanks were spread throughout the house, where police also found and removed some 40 guns. The police chief also said that a note left on the property saved the lives of firefighters and police officers responding to the scene. The note, propped up on a propane tank in the back of a pickup truck parked outside the house, said, according to the chief, "Firemen, please do not enter. Explosives, ammunition, gunpowder inside the house." Norman Langelier made his own ammunition, Capt. James. P. Coyne said yesterday. The process of packing bullet casings with gun powder and primer is cheaper than buying bullets, Coyne said. As a result, there was potentially unstable material on the scene. Earlier this afternoon, the state medical examiners office officially identified the two and gave their causes of death. The medical examiners office said in its statement that Beatrice Langalier died from "skull fractures and brain injuries due to perforating gunshot wound to head," while her husband died from multiple blunt force injuries. At the police news conference, Desmarais said Norman Langelier's injuries were consistent with explosions in the house. –– projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports form Journal staff writer Mark Reynolds and Journal and projo.com staff This morning, officials brought a device known casually as an “ammunitions cooker” to disable the bullet-making ingredients that survived the blast. Known formally as the armored ammunition detonation unit, it was brought to the location in the bed of a pickup truck. Ammunition is inserted into the device; if it’s live, it explodes in a safe environment. The police usually transport ammunition to the unit, but in this case, they took the unit to the site because there was such a large amount of ammunition, said state police Lt. John Blessing, acting state fire marshal. Early yesterday morning, neighbors were startled awake by the sound of explosions at the house at 500 Nate Whipple Highway. After hours of fire fighting and excavation, Cumberland police announced that they had found two bodies in the wreckage. This morning, part of the house was still standing and excavation equipment remained on the property. -- With reports from projo.com staff writer Brandie Jefferson
Posted by Mike McKinney at 5:21 PM | Comment Update: 2 found dead in fire ID'd; woman shot in headA woman found dead after a Cumberland house fire died from "skull fractures and brain injuries due to perforating gunshot wound to head," while her husband died from multiple blunt force injuries, the state medical examiners' office said this afternoon. The office also formally identified the two as Norman Langelier, 61, who was a businessman in North Attleboro, and Beatrice Langelier, 60. The two owned the 3,300-square-foot house at 500 Nate Whipple Highway, which was destroyed by fire yesterday. Explosions, which awakened neighbors, preceded the blaze. Norman Langelier made his own ammunition, according to Capt. James. P. Coyne. The process of packing bullet casings with gun powder and primer is cheaper than buying bullets, Coyne said. As a result, there was potentially unstable material on the scene. The state medical examiners office would not clarify this afternoon whether the gunshot to Beatrice Langelier's head may have resulted from ammunition in the house or some other means. Police were scheduled to hold a press conference at 4 p.m. today on the fire, which they have been treating as a crime scene. Earlier today, officials brought a device known casually as an “ammunitions cooker” to disable the bullet-making ingredients that survived the blast. Known formally as the armored ammunition detonation unit, it was brought to the location in the bed of a pickup truck. Ammunition is inserted into the device; if it’s live, it explodes in a safe environment. -- projo.com and Journal staff The police usually transport ammunition to the unit, but in this case, they took the unit to the site because there was such a large amount of ammunition, said state police Lt. John Blessing, acting state fire marshal. Yesterday at 4:30 a.m., firefighters went to the house and by early afternoon, authorities had recovered the remains of a man and a woman. Cumberland Police Chief John Desmarais said yesterday that the police were treating the case as a crime unless an investigation showed otherwise. He also said yesterday there was no indication of forced entry to the house. The fire was under control in about two hours. What was left of the house was deemed unsafe for much of the day due to presence of propane tanks and unstable walls. A large portion of Nate Whipple Highway was blocked yesterday and the Langeliers’ large front yard was draped with yellow crime-scene tape. Posted by Mike McKinney at 4:19 PM | Comment Hispanic Affairs panel wants consult with CarcieriPROVIDENCE -- Members of the Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs today criticized Governor Carcieri for not consulting them before he issued an executive order intended to crack down on illegal immigration. They asked that he either rescind or table the order until further discussion with the commission. “We are extremely concerned with the detrimental effects of this order,” said vice chairwoman Jenny Rosario. “Regretfully, we have to say, that for this executive order we were not consulted,” she said. Rosario and other commissioners said they were particularly dismayed that Carcieri based his executive order "on unreliable data” about the number of illegal immigrants in Rhode Island and their costs to taxpayers. Commissioners met with Carcieri for several hours on Tuesday, and asked the governor to attend today’s news conference at the State House. Carcieri told commissioners a scheduling conflict prevented him from being there. Rosario said the executive order is already “promoting fear,” and she and fellow commissioners cited concerns of racial profiling and discrimination. In a live chat with projo.com on Wednesday, Carcieri said he had not considered rescinding the order and that his data on illegal immigrants was based on several independent estimates. Extra: Read the governor's executive order regarding immigration. -- Journal staff writer Karen Lee Zinier Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 3:58 PM | Comment Providence man indicted in fatal shootingA Providence man was indicted on a murder charge today in the shooting death of Aneuris Caceres, 21, of Providence last May. A Providence County grand jury handed up the indictment naming Kelvyn Ramirez, 27, of 497 Potters Ave., on one count of murder and one count of using a firearm while committing a crime of violence. Providence police have alleged that Ramirez, a convicted drug dealer, shot Caceres multiple times. Police said the shooting followed an argument outside a tenement in South Providence. Caceres' body was found behind the building. A May 7 arraignment is scheduled in Providence County Superior Court. -- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with Journal archival reports Ramirez was caught in August during a routine traffic infraction stop in Dillon, S.C. Police said last year that Ramirez was a passenger in a southbound Lincoln Navigator sport-utility vehicle bearing temporary Rhode Island license plates, and a deputy sheriff stopped the SUV for following a car too closely on an interstate highway. The deputy sheriff, according to a report by the Dillon County Sheriff's Office, found the driver was not carrying a driver's license or car registration. Driver and passenger were said to be unclear about one another's names and contradicted each other when asked questions. Eventually, deputies said they determined both men lied about who they were. Deputies also said that, using a drug-sniffing dog, they found marijuana inside the SUV. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:20 PM | Comment Tomorrow's Warwick clean up is canceledA Save the Bay cleanup event at Longmeadow Fishing Area in Warwick tomorrow has been canceled because of forecasted bad weather, said an e-mailed notice from Stephany Hessler, volunteer and internship manager for Save the Bay. The clean-up, for which volunteers will be involved, is postponed to Sunday, April 20, from noon to 2 p.m. Posted by Mike McKinney at 3:08 PM | Comment Photo: Cambodian New Year, schedule of events
The Cambodian New Year is beginning and in Rhode Island, there are plenty of ways to celebrate. Tomorrow, the Cambodian Society of America is hosting a day-long celebration of the Year of the Rat tomorrow on the Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet. From 9 a.m. to noon, there will be a free religious ceremony and and an offering to Buddhist monks -- and later to everyone -- of food. Music starts at noon, with folk and classical dance music as well as a performance by Bad Boyz. There's a $20 fee for the evening portion of the celebration; admission is free for children younger than 12. At the Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, in room 4080, there will be a 4 p.m. blessing, followed by screenings of the Naga Buddha, a documentary by Associate Professor of Art History Natalie Coletta followed by The Flute Player, a documentary starring Arn Chorn Pond. After this weekend, Naga Buddha will be shown continuously campus Art Gallery from Monday, April 7 through Friday, April 25. -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 2:20 PM | Comment Zoo offers special events for vacation weekIf Disney World or simply warmer climates aren't in next week's plans, Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence has stuff to do for those sticking around during school vacation. The zoo hosts an annual conservation week “Party for the Planet" from Monday through Friday. On Sunday, April 20 , there will be an Earth Day celebration. Activities include hands-on activity stations, animal encounters, demonstrations by "environmental artists," and demonstrations where select zoo animals will get special treats. On Monday, one "animal enrichment demonstration" will be with the African wild dogs at 2 p.m., "as visitors watch the pack pounce on six globe piñatas stuffed with special treats," according to a zoo news release. Other activities go from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m that day. Here's a look at some more of what's planned: * On Tuesday, artist Mathilde Duffy will make works using the natural world around her for inspiration from 1 to 3 p.m. * On Wednesday, create your own peace flag with your own wish for the planet, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The April 20 Earth Day celebration will include an environmental fair involving more than 20 local "earth-friendly organizations." Posted by Mike McKinney at 1:42 PM | Comment Spaghetti dinner nets $10,000 for 18-year-old hit by carWESTERLY — A bank, a civic group and private donors last night raised more than $10,000 for Sylvia Bogusz, the 18-year-old injured when she was struck by a car on Route 1 and thrown more than 100 feet. The money came from a spaghetti dinner at the Calabrese Club on Pleasant Street. The fundraiser, sponsored by the Westerly Lions Club and NewportFed Bank, attracted more than 530 diners in just over two hours. “We had lines out the door,” said Frankie R. Algiere, a NewportFed Bank assistant vice president and branch manager. Bogusz and her family received a standing ovation, she said. Hit by a driver accused of speeding and driving drunk last June, Bogusz faces months of physical therapy. The South Kingstown resident walks with a cane and needs help to climb the front steps to her house. After the accident, Bogusz went into shock and then a coma. Despite severe blood loss, broken bones and brain damage, Bogusz started talking after four months. Last month, she went home. To help her pay her medical and physical therapy bills, philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein has also promised to match up to $10,000 in gifts given to a separate fund for the teenager. Participants in the Feinstein challenge should send checks payable to the Sylvia Bogusz Recovery Fund. The checks, postmarked no later than April 30, should be sent to Alan Shawn Feinstein at 37 Alhambra Circle, Cranston, RI 02905. -- Journal staff writer Paul Davis Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:14 PM | Comment Massachusetts Statehouse evacuated after fire alarmBOSTON — The Massachusetts Statehouse has been evacuated following a fire alarm. An Associated Press writer reported an acrid smell and firefighters running through the hallways on Friday. A school orchestra that had been playing on the grand staircase was evacuated along with workers and other visitors. A fire spokesman said the incident doesn’t appear to be serious. No further information was immediately available. -- The Associated Press Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 12:13 PM | Comment So far, traffic at Green Airport moving smoothlyAmerican Airlines' cancellations of hundreds of flights yesterday on its MD-80 aircraft are not directly affecting travelers at T.F. Green Airport this morning, according to an airport spokeswoman. The airport's Web site lists all but one flight arrived or on time through the morning. Departures are the mirror image, according to the listing. But The Journal reported today that while American does not use MD-80 planes out of Green Airport, people who are on American flights and have to get onto a connecting flights in Chciago could see delays. This weekend is expected to be a busy travel time as many people head out during school spring vacations. American Airlines cancelled 933 more flights yesterday because safety inspections found the airline did not follow a Federal Aviation Administration directive involving the securing of wiring in wheel wells of MD-80 planes. Hundreds of thousands of passengers have been stranded nationally. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:11 PM | Comment 'Wild Money' won while in WesterlySomeone bought a $146,242-winning "Wild Money" lottery ticket in Westerly last night, but has not come forward to grab the prize. The ticket was bought at the Sunrise Market, 130 Granite St., according to a Rhode Island Lottery news release. Players have one year from the drawing to claim a prize. Speaking of which, the clock is ticking on a Wild Money ticket worth $144,751 dating to last May. The ticket was bought in Cranston at the the 7-Eleven, 535 Reservoir Ave. for the May 5, 2007, drawing. If the prize goes unclaimed the full year, it will be turned over to the state’s General Fund, Rhode Island Lottery said. Posted by Mike McKinney at 12:03 PM | Comment Acquirer of Brooks drug stores posts lossRite Aid Corp. reported a fourth-quarter loss of $960.4 million, largely due to costs from the acquisition of 1,850 Brooks and Eckerd stores it acquired last June. Pharmacies across the state that had been branded Brooks stores are now Rite Aid. The company, based in Pennsylvania, said it expects to lose money in fiscal 2009 for a third straight year and that sales would be below what analysts are predicting. Rite Aid blamed a tough economy and spending to integrate the Brooks and Eckerd in an effort to keep pace with its larger rivals, Walgreen Co. and CVS Caremark Corp. Shares in Rite Aid (RAD:NYSE) closed yesterday at $2.60, off 14 cents. -- Journal business editor John Kostrzewa Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 10:09 AM | Comment Vermont Air Guard pilot grounded after Fenway flyoverMONTPELIER, Vt. -- A Vermont Air National Guard pilot who took part in a flyover of Fenway Park during opening day ceremonies has been grounded for making an improper maneuver near the park, a Guard spokesman said yesterday. The pilot of the F-16 flew under and over the other three F-16s in the formation at about 1,200 feet over Boston Tuesday afternoon because he was going too fast and he was late joining the formation, said Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow. "It is a legitimate maneuver. It is normally done at 5,000 feet or above," Goodrow said. "The crowd loved it, but it was not a planned maneuver." Goodrow would not release the name of the pilot. People at Fenway Park or watching the Boston Red Sox' opening day ceremonies on television saw three planes flying wing tip to wing-tip when the fourth plane approached from behind and then appeared to curve around the other aircraft. Goodrow said it was not an acrobatic stunt. "At no time was the public in danger," Goodrow said. "Our pilot is a very skilled pilot. He maintained full control of the airplane." -- The Associated Press Red Sox spokesman John Blake said yesterday the team hadn't heard any complaints about the maneuver. "I think we were made aware of it today by the Green Mountain Boys," Blake said. "Nobody here has had a lot of time to find out what happened." Goodrow said Guard officials saw the maneuver on television. "We all said 'wow, that's not right.' All the aviators knew what was going on," Goodrow said. "They said 'that was a bit unusual.'" The pilot was suspended after he landed back at the Burlington International Airport in South Burlington. "The pilot has been grounded, not as a punishment but so we can provide remedial training in tactics and procedures so this situation does not happen again," Goodrow said. "He might have made other choices to rejoin the formation." There was no word on how long the pilot would remain grounded. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:41 AM | Comment Fishing season opens tomorrowMore than 20,000 anglers are expected to turn out tomorrow morning for Opening Day of trout-fishing season, the largest sporting event in the state. They will be pursuing about 70,000 brown, rainbow, and brook trout stocked in scores of streams and ponds by the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. A handful of Opening Day anglers may also fish for native brook trout — actually a kind of char — that still occurs naturally in a few streams. Ancestors of the stocked rainbows came from the western states and provinces of Canada. The first brown trout came to America from Germany generations ago. Check out information on regulations, limits and stocked trout waters For the first time, probably since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, anglers will be able to pursue trout in the town of West Warwick tomorrow. The Pawtuxet River, once the filthiest stream in the state, has two new trout-fishing spots, developed by the Department of Environmental Management and the Pawtuxet River Authority. -- Journal staff writer Tom Meade Read Tom Meade's full story on opening day. Posted by Jack Perry at 9:09 AM | Comment Officials to destroy ammunition after fatal fire/ Photo
Early yesterday morning, neighbors were startled awake by the sound of explosions at the house at 500 Nate Whipple Highway. After hours of fire fighting and excavation, Cumberland police announced that they had found two bodies in the wreckage, although neither of the two bodies has been identified. The home belonged to 61-year-old Norman Langelier and his wife, 60-year-old Beatrice Langelier. Part of the house is still standing and excavation equipment remains on the property. Cars driving along the road this morning slowed down to take in the scene –– except for a drivers’ education vehicle, whose driver stared steadfastly ahead. The ammunition cooker, or, more formally, the armored ammunition detonation unit was driven in in the bed of a pick-up truck. It’s used to make sure that ammunition is safe; ammunition goes in, if it’s live, it explodes in a safe environment. The police usually transport ammunition to the unit, but in this case, they took the unit to the site because there's such a large amount of it, said state police Lt. John Blessing, acting state Fire Marshal. Norman Langelier made his own ammunition, according to Capt. James. P. Coyne. The process of packing bullet casings with gun powder and primer is cheaper than buying bullets, Coyne said. As a result, there is potentially unstable material on the scene. Cumberland police say more information about the explosion will be released early this afternoon -- projo.com staff writer Brandie M. Jefferson and Journal staff photographer Bill Murphy Posted by Jack Perry at 8:43 AM | Comment Photo: The fire's aftermath
Posted by Jack Perry at 8:11 AM | Comment Spring? Forget about it, think winter mixWasn't it nice yesterday? Clear, blue skies, brilliant sunshine, and temperatures finally breaking 70. Don't get used to it. This weekend is bringing lower temperatures, rain and next week -- do you really want to hear this? -- snow. It's mild this morning, with temperatures at about 45 degrees at 7 a.m. and sunshine peeking through clouds in the Capitol City. But as the day goes on, clouds are expected to increase and the National Weather Service is forecasting a 30 percent chance of rain later this afternoon. The temperature is set to rise to 56 degrees with mild north winds becoming southeast. If the rain doesn't come this afternoon, it's almost certain to come tonight. There's a 90 percent chance of showers late tonight when the temperature reaches about 44 degrees coupled with mild east winds. Tomorrow? More rain in the morning. And fog. The temperature is set to reach about 58 degrees and we'll have breezy north winds up to about 10 mph. At night: rain. Clouds. Cold, but mild winds from the north. A low temperature near 42. Sunday we'll probably see rain and clouds with winds will come from the northwest between 8 and 13 mph. Mild temperatures near 55 degrees during the day and a low temperature near freezing overnight when there's a chance of rain. And here's the rub: Monday, back to work day, one day before taxes are due, April 14, 25 days after the first day of spring, there is, in fact a chance of snow showers. They're forecast for early morning, until 9, when the snow should turn to rain. Otherwise we can expect clouds and a high temperature approaching 50 later in the day. Posted by Brandie Jefferson at 7:01 AM | Comment Today's front page: The Cumberland fireA story on the two bodies pulled out of Cumberland home and feature on a patient at the Eleanor Slater Hospital lead today's front page. Posted by Peter Phipps at 6:36 AM | Comment A scientist and a minister to probe extinction tonightWhat’s the value of a species? Can its contribution to biodiversity be useful to humans? Or is its existence something less precise and more aesthetic? The instability brought by global climate change sharpens the relevance of these questions. And a Christian who uses his religion as a tool to advocate for biodiversity and a neuroscientist/conservation scientist who advocates often with religious conservationists and other social leaders are coming to Providence to talk about the natural world. The discussion between Peter Illyn and Caroly Shumway is sponsored by the “Irreplaceable” campaign, a coalition of advocacy groups that focus on educating the public about the affects of climate change on wildlife. The group has also put up a photo exhibit in the city. Both the photo exhibit and the discussion are going on at the Peerless Building at 1500 Union St. The photo exhibit is going on now through April 26. The talk is set for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight. --- Brandie Jefferson, projo.com |
|
ADVERTISING |
|
|
|
|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006